Homemade coconut milk; it’s easier than you think!

I use almond milk in a lot of my recipes because it’s accessible and easy to find. But, I know a few readers have nut allergies so almond milk is a no-go. If you’re trying to avoid dairy and nuts, this milk is for you!

Homemade coconut milk is super easy to make. If you’ve not tried to make a dairy-free milk at home, this would be a great recipe to try first. When you do, I’d love to hear how it goes!

I primarily use coconut milk in smoothies, but the possibilities are endless. You can sub it in anywhere you’d normally use milk or almond milk. Perhaps in your matcha latte?

A lot of coconut milk recipes online call for up to 4 cups of filtered water. I personally think the end result is a little, well, watery. I like to make mine a bit thicker so you’ll see I use less water than other recipes.

You’ll also see my recipe calls for unsweetened shredded coconut. You can find this in the bulk food section at Whole Foods; it’s much cheaper than the shredded coconut you find on the shelves.

Here’s my recipe:

• 2-3 cups filtered water, heated but not boiling*
• 1 – 1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut*
• softened date if you want a sweeter milk, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract (I like this one), optional

Steps:

• Pour the heated water over the shredded coconut and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You can use a bowl or put it directly in the blender. This helps the coconut mix into the water.
• After 10 minutes, throw everything into the blender and blend! I leave the blender running for about a minute.
• Pour the mixture through a fine strainer, cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag. This is the one I use and I love it. (Bonus, you can use the code “crunchykat” for 10% off!) 
• Save your ready-to-use coconut milk in a mason jar! Refrigerate and allow to cool.

*You can experiment with your preferred ratio of water to coconut depending on how thick you like your coconut milk. If it ends up on the thicker side, use it as coffee creamer!